As part of a study by the Spanish National Research Council, researchers have designed new hydrogels that allow the culture of T cells or T lymphocytes. Their findings were published in Biomaterials.
Made of polyethylene glycol and heparin, the hydrogels can mimic lymph nodes and provide high rates of cell proliferation. While the polymer provides the structure and mechanical properties necessary for T cells to grow, heparin is used to anchor different biomolecules of interest, such as cytokine CCL21.
"This personalized therapy, although still very novel, seems to have more lasting effects than current oncological therapies, thanks to some T lymphocytes that are capable of conferring immunity over time," says researcher Judith Guasch, one of the creators of the technology.
The goal of the project is to print large 3D hydrogels compatible with clinical bioreactors, in order to expand T cells in a more efficient way. "Its application is limited by the current cell culture media since they are not effective enough for the proliferation and growth of a relevant amount of therapeutic T cells in a short time and in an economically viable way," adds Guasch.